1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a liquid crystal display device including at least a liquid crystal display panel, a light source provided on the back side of the liquid crystal display panel, and a frame accommodating the liquid crystal display panel and the light source.
2. Description of the Related Art
Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2005-49450 discloses a fixed structure of a liquid crystal display panel and a backlight unit. This fixed structure is characterized in that a polarizing plate attached to a viewing side of the liquid crystal display panel is larger than the outer size of a glass substrate of the liquid crystal display panel and an overhanging portion of the polarizing plate which overhangs from the glass substrate is bonded to an upper end of a frame to fix the liquid crystal display panel and the backlight unit. This fixed structure narrows the frame and improves impact resistance.
In the fixed structure of Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2005-49450, however, as shown in FIG. 2 of Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2005-49450, a driver IC chip is mounted on the back surface of a second substrate 5 provided on the viewing side (see paragraph [0017] of Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2005-49450) and a protruding portion 5a is exposed. Therefore, light entering from outside to the protruding portion 5a may cause malfunction of the driver IC. In order to prevent light leakage from outside, it is necessary to attach a very expensive light-shielding tape or light-shielding sheet to the protruding portion 5a, resulting in high cost.
Moreover, the driver IC chip mounted on the back surface of the second substrate 5 is thicker than a first substrate 4. Therefore, a backlight unit 3 has an increased thickness in order to assure space for the driver IC chip.
An FPC (Flexible Printed Circuit) is thermocompression-bonded to the second substrate 5 with an anisotropic conductive film (ACF) and the FPC is exposed. Therefore, during handling of the FPC or the like, stress is applied to the thermocompression-bonded portion and the FPC may be separated. Therefore, extreme care is required to be taken when handling and the yield is not good. Moreover, the separated FPC needs reworking, increasing the number of steps.